Once More

Chapter I | A Shift In The Breeze

"Have a nice day."
I said half-heartedly as I handed the man his coffee. My shift was almost over and my customer-service voice was starting to fade. I continuously checked the clock, like a young child waiting for the school bell.

"Only 10 more minutes, Scarlett." Chae-Yeong laughed as she wiped down the chairs and tables. She was my closest friend, so she could practically read what I was thinking, though I did tend to make it obvious through my expressions.

I had been working almost every day this week, so I had barely any time for painting. At this point, I would rather my nostrils be filled by the smell of gesso than coffee. I had a feeling that was just me, though.

With 5 more minutes till clock out, I heard the ding of the bell strung upon the door. I sighed, "Why right now?" A tall, lean man with long silky black hair approached the counter. He wore a white baseball cap and a long brown coat with high waisted blue jeans, cuffed at the ankles. His eyes were piercing, and his lips a soft pink. He smiled.

"Hello, could I have one medium Americano please?" He asked politely. I noticed the many rings on his fingers as he pulled out his wallet. "Sure thing. Is that all for you today?" I asked, sounding a bit annoyed. I really wanted this day to be over.

He smile slightly faded with the tone of my voice. He nodded politely and gave me his card for payment. To be honest, I felt a bit bad. I wasn't intentionally trying to sound rude, but I was tired, and he kinda came in at the worst time.

I went to prepare his drink as he stood off to the side of counter waiting. Chae-Yeong had finished sweeping up the floor and was putting the broom and dust pan back in the closet. I was pouring his drink into the cup when I heard her exclaim "Oh my god! Hyunjin?"

"Huh?" I thought as I finished pouring. I turned around only to see her chatting with the tall man in the brown coat.

"It's been so long, how are you?" She asked, eyes full of curiosity. I didn't want to be awkward and intrude on their conversation, but this coffee cup was starting to make my hand a bit hot. I looked at the time. "Finally." It was the end of my shift.

I walked up to the counter and gestured for him to grab his cup from my hands. "Here you are, careful, it's a bit hot." I said with a half smile. He smiled in return and took the cup from my hands. "Thank you." He gave a small bow and proceeded to talk to Chae-Yeong. "I've been enjoying my time off, though I'm really hurt that I missed Kingdom. I prepared a lot for it." He gave a small frown,

I didn't know what this guy was going on about and quite frankly, I didn't really care to. I could finally go enjoy the rest of my weekend in peace, starting with some painting in my favorite park. I grabbed my bag and clocked out. "See you Chae!" I shouted as I walked out of the shop.

The air felt nice. It was a sunny day and the mixture of sunshine with a cool breeze felt perfect on my skin. It wasn't too hot, it wasn't too cold; it was perfect.
I couldn't help but smile. I could finally spend some time relaxing and taking in the sights and smells. The aroma of coffee and bagels gets really old after a while.

I made my way to my favorite park in Seoul. It was filled with cherry blossom trees and a small body of water. It had benches, but I preferred to sit on the grass underneath the trees. I enjoyed the shade.

I found the perfect spot and proceeded to take my thin blanket out of my bag. I gently spread it across the grass and sat down. I got out my sketchbook, some pencils, watercolor paints, and a bottle of water. I looked around. Moments like this...make it all feel right.

I decided to paint using the scene ahead of me as a reference. Some cherry blossoms, a lake, and the pale blue sky. It was all so beautiful, I couldn't resist capturing it in my sketchbook.

I was working on the highlights in the water when I heard footsteps close behind me. I didn't look up; my art had all of my focus. I dipped in the deep blue paint when I heard a familiar voice.

"Your work is lovely."

I turned around. It was the man from the coffee shop earlier.

Did he follow me?

Please, don't be ridiculous.

"Oh, uh thank you?" I stated, a bit confused as to what was happening. He was still holding the Americano I had made for him earlier, along with a large bag similar to mine.

"No problem. You make good coffee, and you can paint. You're a woman of many talents." He laughed and gave a cheeky grin. "My name is Hyunjin. What's your name?"

His statement jogged my memory. "Oh my god! Hyunjin?" I remember Chae exclaimed earlier.

"I'm Scarlett. Nice to meet you Hyunjin." I said with a small, closed lip smile. He nodded slightly. "So you work alongside Chae-Yeong? We went to high school together." He stated. Ah, so that's how she knew him. "Oh! Yes, we met a few years ago at an open mic. We were pretty drunk." I laughed awkwardly. "We ended up hitting it off and became best friends. We got the job together on purpose."

He nodded and smiled slightly. "Ah, I see. Yes, she's fun to be around. We always had fun together in school."

At this point I was starting to get even more confused. Does he want something? Why is he still talking to me? But nevertheless I continued to try my best to be polite. My paint was starting to dry and I needed more time to work with it.

After a short period of awkwardly silence, he cleared his throat. "Well, I won't keep you from your art. It was nice to meet you, Scarlett. Have a nice day." He gave a small bow and walked on past me.

Huh. Weird.

I continued to paint my scene, but felt like someone's eyes were still on me. I tried to ignore the feeling, but instinctively I looked up. My eyes wandered around the park, only to see Hyunjin sitting on one of the benches by the lake. He had taken a quick glance at me before looking down. He was holding something.

A sketch pad?

Did he also come here to draw?

Something in the air felt different, I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was a shift in the breeze.

I quickly finished up my painting and began to pack my things up. I don't know why, but I felt a bit...nervous. I put everything back into my bag, except my sketchbook. I decided to hold it on the walk home so that the paint wouldn't smudge in my bag. I took one last glance over at Hyunjin, who was happily sketching by the lake, before starting my walk home.

As I arrived to my apartment, I unlocked the door and gently put my things down. I put my sketchbook the on the counter so it could dry more overnight, and my bag on the barstool beside it.

After brushing my teeth, removing my makeup, and applying my skincare, I climbed into bed. My mind was full of the events that took place earlier.

What an interesting day.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! this is my first FF, so be gentle with me 🥴 if you notice any typos please point them out so I can fix them! thank you :3
Word count: 1306